


Escalator

by Onaa



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, One Shot, bonus motorcycle, bucky is in over his head, mild canon-typical violence, unfortunately no one is driving it yet sorry, wanda saves the day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 03:46:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6103791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onaa/pseuds/Onaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People are almost running. Businessmen, college students, young parents; they’re are all making their way up the escalators. They’re still calm enough to glance at one another, anxious to not appear too scared. But the security guards are shouting orders and soon, hundred of commuters are evacuating the station in a somewhat orderly manner. The hum from the repulsor engines of Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit is suddenly loud in the abandoned platform, but he’s not alone; a man, shaggy-haired and dressed in too many layers for the warm weather, is crouching behind a huge concrete planter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Escalator

**Author's Note:**

> I love the parallels of sacrifice and loss between Wanda and Steve, and I really wanted a super-confident Wanda in an action scene.

People are _almost_ running. Businessmen, college students, young parents; they’re are all making their way up the escalators. They’re still calm enough to glance at one another, anxious to not appear embarrassingly scared. But the security guards are shouting orders and soon, hundreds of commuters are evacuating the station in a somewhat orderly manner. The hum from the repulsor engines of Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit is suddenly loud in the abandoned platform, but he’s not alone; a man, shaggy-haired and dressed in too many layers for the warm weather, is crouching behind a huge concrete planter. He’s clutching a gun, and only a few minutes earlier there were too many civilians between him and Stark for either of them to make a move. But now. Now they’re almost alone.  
  
Commuters stop and shout as she runs past them, the wrong way, down the escalators. A young girl, twenty at most, in a short red dress and with dark hair flowing in the updraft from the trains. One of the security guards takes a few step in her direction.  
“Miss, you’re going in the wrong direction, please head back —“  
He goes immediately quiet as her hands start _glowing_ , emitting a red light. As she’s grabbing something out of thin air, the guard starts retreating, and then she hurls a cloud of glowing red miasma at Iron Man, who has been taking aim on the man behind the planter. He’s thrown backwards, and the girl keeps running towards the man on the ground.  
  
Wanda slides in behind the planter just as Tony is restabilizing. For a second, Barnes is aiming his gun at her, but she points it away with a flick of her wrist and crouches down next to him. He’s staring at her with a mix of irritation of disbelief as Stark takes another shot and she counters it with a wall of red light. The air smells of ozone.  
“Maximoff!” says Stark, over loudspeakers. “Stand down.”  
“Not gonna happen,” Wanda mutters under her breath. Perhaps he can hear her, perhaps not, but he resumes hovering, just outside of her mind’s reach, not taking another shot. Barnes frowns. He’s quiet as she tries to keep an eye on both him and Stark at the same time. When he finally speaks, it’s little more than a whisper.  
“You’re the volunteer.”  
She nods.  
“What are you doing here?”  
“Saving your ass, or at least that’s what it looks like from here.”  
“I manage fine on my own.”  
“Right. Against Iron Man, armed with a small handgun.” He looks like he’s about to start protesting again, but she shakes her head, digs a key ring out of the pocket of her jacket and hands it to him.  
“There’s a bike parked in the garage a level down, full tank, you should be able to get away faster on it than on foot.”  
“And Iron Man? He’s requesting back-up as we speak.” For a second, she thinks he's about to give her an derisive smirk. “You must be heavy hitter.”  
“Let me handle him. And War Machine.”  
“What about Black Widow? Falcon?”  
“It will take Natasha a while to get here. And Sam isn’t gonna show.”  
“ _Why_ are you here? Did Steve send you?”  
“In a matter of speaking.”  
  
He eyes her carefully, like he can figure her out just by looking at her. Squints.  
“So you volunteered for this too.”  
Wanda shrugs again. It doesn’t really matter, not anymore. She’s here, and she’s given him the keys, he should be on his way, but he’s still there, crouching next to her behind the planter.  
“Why?” he asks, finally. She takes a deep breath.  
“Because Steve would do the same for me, if it were…” she stops, blinks. “I lost someone I loved.”

  
Barnes' eyes don't leave her face. His expression hasn’t changed during their entire conversation, but she can see something new, a glint in his eyes as he's watching her.  
“Your brother.”  
She nods again.  
“But if he was being hunted down like this, I know Steve would do what I am doing now.”  
“So you’re the same goddamn kind of stupid.”  
She can’t help but smile a little. Yes, she supposes they are.  
“What’s important is that I am not going to let him lose you. Not on my watch. Now go!”  
For a second, Barnes hesitates, but then he turns and practically throws himself down the now-still escalators to the garage. Stark makes a move to follow, but she catches him, reels him in and prepares to meet him head on. She just need to keep him  - and soon, Rhodey -  busy for a long enough time for Barnes to go underground again. That is the least she can do, and it should be easy.

  
Piece of cake.

The Scarlet Witch squares her shoulders.


End file.
